10 Reasons Why Your iPad is Better than Your TV

The notorious hypothetical gun is once again to your head and you’re forced to make a decision: TV or iPad. Which would you choose if you could only have one? Before you stand up, throw your hands in the air and proclaim your decision, read the 10 reasons outlined below that build the case for why an iPad is more of an asset than your TV.

1. It can leave your house

Picture being able to pick up your television and bring it on the road with you… oh wait, there's something better - a tablet, but more specifically an iPad. Your TV is obviously fantastic. It’s big, loud, and probably cost you a pretty penny. It allows you to follow your favourite shows, news, sports and more, but there is tons of great content from the various television networks you follow available on digital and mobile. The only problem is that you can't bring your TV out of the house. Cue the first reason I’d pick an iPad over a TV. With your WIFI/4G equipped iPad, you CAN bring all of that great content out with you to consume wherever and whenever you want. Insert cheesy line here: with an iPad, the world is your oyster.

2. Email

Plain and simple, people want to be able to access their email anytime and anywhere they please. With a touch screen keyboard on a 9.1-inch display, the iPad gives it to you in a way that’s easy to read and reply. Just set up your email account in a couple easy steps and you're ready to go. With the WIFI and 4G capabilities on an iPad, you can access your email with the same speed of any smartphone out there.

3. Social Media

All your favorite social media platforms have apps that run seamlessly on the iPad. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and more - all on a 9.1inch screen. The user experience that the touch screen provides is a joy. It's the way social media was meant to be experienced.

4. Gaming

This is a BIG one. Gaming on the iPad just keeps getting better and better. With pretty much the best screen on the market and a rocking A5X processor, gaming has the potential to blow users away with stunning graphics. The capabilities are pretty vast and although some developers are leaning towards modest upgrades to graphics in order to reduce size and budget, the door is open to those that want to push the capabilities to the limit. Just take a peek at games like Infinity Blade II or Real Racing 2 HD.

Even with all the fancy bells and whistles that come with the new iPad, there's still the undeniable joy one gets out of playing the more basic games the iPad has to offer. Try turning on a game of Temple Run, Harbor Master, Draw Something, Jetpack Joyride or others from the myriad of free games available. Even the non-gamers out there may end developing an unhealthy addiction to one or two of them. I’ve experienced it first hand and seen it happen to friends and family.

5. Retina Display

With all the technology out there around television screens, none of it comes close to the display you get on the iPad. The new iPad sports a stunning 2048-by-1536 resolution with 3.1 million pixels. That's over 50% more pixels than your standard HDTV on a 9.1-inch screen… Need I say more?

6. News On Demand

This might be the number one reason for me. Watching regular television programming (like the local news) can be extremely mundane. Find a news channel, wait until a certain time for it to air, watch what stories the network has chosen to cover and scan channels aimlessly during commercial breaks… With apps like Flipboard or Pulse, the news you want from the sources you choose is available to you anywhere, anytime. More and more companies are making the push into mobile with a site designed for the iPad being one of the primary targets. Many magazine companies and publishers are designing stunning mobile sites where reading articles on an iPad actually creates an experience that rivals the print version.

7. iCloud

An iPad set up with iCould brings tears of joy to my eyes. Music, movies, photos and apps are all at the touch of your fingertips anytime. You can also use it to sync up calendars, emails and contacts across all your devices. It’s your content available to you whenever you desire. It really is a beautiful thing.

8. Web Browsing

If you love touch devices like it do, then this is a no brainer. There is nothing quite like surfing on an iPad. It really is the future of how content will be consumed. With magazines, newspapers and other publications continuing to move their content online using responsive web design, the experience just keeps getting better and continues to pick up speed.

9. Camera

The camera on the iPad is a pretty nifty little gadget. It’s sporting a 5-megapixel camera, 1080p HD video recording, and a hybrid infrared filter (which is typically reserved for fancy SLR cameras). There’s also countless photo editing apps available that allow you to be an amateur photographer wherever you are.

10. Connects to your TV!

Last, but not least, Apple has really solidified the awesomeness of the iPad with its ability to connect to your television through Apple TV. With AirPlay, you can stream whatever you’re viewing on your iPad wirelessly to your TV. This means music, photos, videos, browsing etc. all ready to share with friends and family from the comfort of your living room.

Once you breakdown the numerous benefits the iPad provides, it’s hard to see how you could ever choose a TV over an iPad. Put the hypothetical gun away and you don’t have to make a such a silly choice! We just wanted to stir the pot…

Unbound Media is about the strategies, tools and tactics that connect the Unbound Audience with Unbound Content. Through research, experience sharing and inspiration, this blog is designed to offer smart and innovative ideas to help you navigate a world where people and media are boundless.